So after getting settled in at the hotel and having a short afternoon siesta, I was ready to hit the streets of cultural Hanoi and see what was happening. The street where my hotel is appears to have gained about 30 massage parlours since last i was here. The hawkers for just about everything else is still the same. “Cyclo, sir” “Massage sir” wallet sir” “shoe shine (despite the fact that I’me wearing sandals)?“ It can get pretty irritating, truth be told.

Pretty lit up bar in the centre of the Old Quarter

This is a lovely time of the year to be here. The weather is just perfect, dry and pleasant without the oppressive heat that arrives before the wet season starts. Today was a very clement 25ºC/77ºF. Hanoi is always a little cooler than Ho Chi Minh City so this is a welcome change.

I found a quiet cafe where I had a milkshake as I posted the first instalment of this blog, then move on to Black Jack’s a steak and ribs joint. I was stuck between half a rack or a third, I ordered a third rack of ribs and when it arrived was glad I had. They were huge. The ribs weren’t exactly fall of the bone stuff but they were tasty. However the garlic buttered veg were disappointing. The garlic was so strong you simply cannot tell the difference between carrots and corn. I would have preferred just a few more chips.

I almost forgot to take the photos

Cultural Hanoi has changed in Recent Years

There’s great area in town where two of the newly designated beer streets meet. People sit out on the corner, to drink beer and watch the world go by. It’s called Beer corner, which is not very imaginable but it gets the job done. It’s pretty wild, every bar has its own music blaring out of the doors to create a real cacophony of sounds, but it’s an interesting little part of town. On one street I notice that so many of the bars have just themselves “Bia” then the number on their address, hence there is “Bia24” “Bia 27” Bia 29 “ and so on. What they lack in imagination they gain in efficiency.

Beer Corner, last time I was here was in the height of the toruist seasonJust in case you are in any doubt

I spotted the “Obama Restaurant” he is held in high esteem here, I wonder what establishments will be named after Trump following his visit to Vietnam later this month? I could hazard a guess. Answers on a postcard!

Obama Restaurant shortly to be followed by Trump ?

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Following a highly successful 25-year career as a singer/songwriter and musician, Keith pulled out of the rat race and moved to Southeast Asia in 2008. First living in Thailand, he moved to Cambodia and then relocated to Ho Chi Minh City in early 2013. Keith has had work published in magazines and websites in the UK, Europe, USA, Australia and Asia. He has written for the BBC and has appeared on TV and radio in many different countries. His great loves are music and travel, but he writes on a whole range of subjects.